


Trial of Enlightenment

by Danko_Kaji



Category: Final Fantasy X & Final Fantasy X-2, Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-12-17
Updated: 2011-12-16
Packaged: 2017-10-27 10:45:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/294961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danko_Kaji/pseuds/Danko_Kaji
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Baralai embarks on a pilgrimage in another dimension to stave off evil for seven years. The Hero of Time sleeps and princess Zelda must abandon her kingdom while Ganondorf reigns over the land. Pre-FFX.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Overture of Sages

**Author's Note:**

> Major spoilers for Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
> 
> Written for Final Fantasy Fortnightly, prompt #117: "The Last Time."

Link didn't witness the hostile takeover of Hyrule Castle, nor did he witness the downfall of domains. A prophet from a far-away land appears in the Temple of Time, after the Hero of Time departs for seven-year hibernation. Hellfire consumes the land. Moblins invade Hyrule Castle and lay waste to its town. Citizens flee to the neighboring Kakariko village while the wounded and deceased are left behind and later resurrected as ReDeads.

Lon Lon Ranch undergoes a coup d’état. Kokiri children fight corruption at the source of all life. Gorons defend Death Mountain against a legendary dragon. Zoras sleep frozen under an immortal curse. Refugees overpopulate the last Hyrulean settlement. Gerudo consider the foreigner one of their own, after they beat him, and violate him in vain.

Baralai visits each temple and prays. The Goddesses answer; Din acknowledges his strength, Farore recognizes his courage, and Naryu admires his wisdom. Sage Fado of the Wind reveals his destiny. Baralai sings Earth God's Lyric by heart, preserving Hyrule Castle safe underground. Great King of Evil and Navigator of Men; rival practitioners of Black Magic duel.

Baralai meets the runaway Princess Zelda, and passes on the ultimate legacy; wisdom, justice, and love.

~

Once upon a time, a wise old soul alongside fellow Ancients forged a sword to repel evil, those who would abuse the Triforce. They bless the legendary blade with wings, the power to connect with the Heavens. Only individuals of pure heart and strong body could lay their hands on it. Sages construct the Temple of Time around the sword for protection, which serves as the sole gateway to the Sacred Realm. The Master Sword lay hidden in its secret chamber. Prophecy speaks of a Hero.

Rauru presides over the Light Temple. He watches the world. He waits. He wonders.

~

Once upon a time, a green-haired girl played with her forest friends and Fairy guardians. The children consider her to be very pretty, a mother figure, kind-hearted, someone they can turn to for advice every time. An outsider lives among them, the boy with no Fairy. He grows up while the others shun him; Kokiri do not age. Saria likes him, senses something special about him, and soon they become best friends. The Lost Woods echo music and memories, the whistle of an ocarina and friendship.

Saria sits at her favorite spot. She plays her song. She reminisces. She smiles.

~

Once upon a time, the Big Boss of the Gorons governed a four-story cave network. He’s tough, rude, a responsible ruler. His people are rock-eating humanoids, whom inhabit the Death Mountain. They are hulking and intimidating, peaceful and intelligent – on the edge of starvation. Smoke clouds surrounding the peak reflect the state of the mountain; fiery red symbolizes perilous times. Evil incarnate sought to steal the Goron Ruby, blocked their main source of food supply, and infested the cavern with carnivorous Dodongos out of rage.

Darunia dwells in his throne room. He protects the treasure. He fears. He hopes.

~

Once upon a time, a young Zora princess performed her sacred duty to feed her patron deity. Daughter of King Zora XVI and heir to the throne, Ruto belongs to an aquatic humanoid race. Monarchy rules her people’s fountain and only the Hyrule Royal Family can bypass the Sleepless Waterfall. Zoras are proud and foreigners have never stepped foot into their precious domain until the day Lord Jabu-Jabu began acting strange. Letter inside a bottle travels to Lake Hylia, carrying a princess’s plea.

Ruto wanders inside a whale’s belly. She senses his pain. She investigates. She rebels.

~

Once upon a time, an amazonian woman remembered the noble, bitter dream of her King years ago. The country of notorious female bandits lies within a vast, arid desert. Hot sunlight and burning winds punish the landscape, and moonlight pierces the dark of night, unleashing a frigid gale to decimate homes. Wind carried death throughout the valley, yet the winds that blew across the green fields of Hyrule brought something other than suffering and ruin. “I covet that wind...” Ganondorf had said, before departing for lands beyond.

Nabooru betrays the corrupt King. She plots a conspiracy. She infiltrates. She fails.

~

Once upon a time, a Sheikah served as Princess Zelda’s female attendant and guardian. The Hyrulean Civil War almost wiped out the entire tribe while the Sheikah defended the Royal Family years ago; battle-worn red eyes and wakizashi sheathed at her lower backside proves her heritage. Times have changed; warriors of shadow are lost history. Old evil are sealed inside a well, the Trinity of Truth artifacts – Lens, Mask, and Stone – are hidden away from wicked hands, and Impa opens Kakariko village where everyone can live.

Impa raises the holy Princess. She safeguards a legend. She strives. She believes.

~

Once upon a time, a peculiar Kokiri girl harbored a morbid fascination for the Lost Woods. Her brother bosses around their forest friends while she roams to foreign lands far and wide without fear. She laughs at the thought what fate could befall those wandering in her permanent place of dwelling. When she meets a Hylian adult masquerading in trademark Kokiri attire – green tunic, plus white tights and gauntlets – she wonders aloud whether or not this familiar man will become lost and transform into a Stalfos.

Fado hears the wind whisper things. She tells a secret. She giggles. She disappears.

~

Once upon a time, an acolyte showed much promise to ascend the ranks of Yevon’s prestigious Bevellean clergy. Tradition and blasphemy intermingle throughout the millennium and his mentor exposes fractions of the truth to test him. Innocent curiosity and pure passion absorbs the knowledge, eager to prove himself worthy of his calling. The High Priest deems thirteen cycles of the autumn equinox sufficient to perform the sacred ritual. He instructs the child to let go, to connect with a parallel universe, to never forget his origins.

Baralai transcends the material world. He summons his dreams. He prays. He sings.

~

Once upon a time, the Princess of Destiny witnessed a vision of treachery when she laid eyes on her father’s associate, the Gerudo King. Warnings from a child convinces no one. Only Impa supports Zelda’s machinations – intercept Ganondorf’s plan to claim the Triforce by eliminating his chance to open the Door of Time. A Kokiri boy comes and goes, delivering her will, seeking to possess the Spiritual Stones. Ganondorf leads an insurrection before Link returns, and they flee into the fields.

Zelda entrusts the Ocarina of Time to Link. She goes into hiding. She regrets. She trains.

~

Once upon a time, a large and knowledgeable owl soared the skies of Hyrule. Gossip Stones speak of an Ancient Sage reincarnated as an animal who travels between the surface world and a floating land. It knew the name of the Hero before their chance meeting and often spoke of cryptic clues pertaining to a never-ending quest. He has an ear for music, a mind for mystery and secrecy. Gaebora Kaepora migrates to wherever the wind blows and beyond.

Time splits into two separate universes. Seasons pass throughout the ages. A Link to the past begins the legend of Zelda.


	2. Prelude of Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Opposite worlds collide. Fleeting light preludes devastation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've made allusions from several Legend of Zelda titles: the Ancient Sages from _Twilight Princess_ , the Sacred Realm and the Book of Mudora from _A Link to the Past_ , Song of Time, Temple of Time, etc.
> 
> (1) excerpt taken from wikipedia page [Enlightenment (spiritual)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlightenment_\(spiritual\))

“You must enter a state of complete emptiness, my child.”

The acolyte meditates in the Chamber of the Fayth, a right only Summoners can utilize; Baralai aspires to become one. Father Zuke instructs the green teenager to find his center while Grand Maester Yo Mika presides over this ritual. Isolate the unique whistle of a pyrefly. Hear the choir of a millennium souls. Baralai's coming-of-age requires he transcend his past life, his past self.

“To achieve Enlightenment, you must venture into a passage beyond the material world into a thought-transcending realm of non-duality and unconditionedness."(1)

Bahamut hums a Yevonic chant.

~

Maester Mika watches with sunken eyes how the boy sits like a lotus not yet in full bloom, pulls his hands from opposite sides, holds a perfect circle before his chest, and bows. Throughout this perfect flow of movement, Baralai breathes. Yo Mika smells sweet youth, a passion smoldering beneath the calm surface, and shudders. Once this moment of weakness passes, the Grand Maester speaks:

"Allow me to guide you through an extraordinary journey. Close your eyes and listen. Pay attention to the top of your head and tell the top of your head to let go. Just let go..."

~

Strange, ethereal beings emerge in his mind’s eye. They move in a graceful, poetic manner as light glitters bright inside darkness. All six look almost identical, save for the unique insignia each one bears symbolizing an element. He perceives their permission and steps foot onto Golden Land. The glowing triad of triangles resting between a split horizon, surrounded by floating plateaus, resembles an iconic painting from a famous fantasy.

Baralai recalls a verse from the Book of Mudora: _“In a realm beyond sight, the sky shines gold, not blue. There, the Triforce’s might makes mortal dreams come true.”_

~

Eons stretch the smallest moments, and Baralai stands before the fourth dimensional gateway. Magical stone wall, missing mystical gems, and sleeping sword blocks his path to the physical realm. Time echoes holy, harmonious music. Baralai identifies the prolonged pitches, understands the ancient notes, and gazes anew at inversion.

Pedestal absent of its Blade of Evil’s Bane. Door of Time open at its seal. Spiritual Stones present on its altar. Link slumbers on while Baralai walks. A tall, dark man enters. They cross paths and initiate eye contact. Sparks flare under conflicting energies.

 _Lightning crackles. White horse gallops. Hot pursuit._

~

Carnage interrupts the premonition from beyond the dusk-lit threshold. Clashing metal. Human screams. Bloody murder. Crumbling homes. This man laughs, milking amusement from Baralai’s bewilderment. As if responsible. As if _proud_ –

“Who _are_ you?”

Golden eyes glare crimson. Sun-burnt skin darkens under the declining sun. “I am Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo. I will soon become King of this land once I acquire the Triforce and rule over the Sacred Realm!” Morbid dreams of grandeur hold no relevance, no solid foundation in reality – maybe in a fantasy, an unreal world –

Laughter mocks his retreat; Baralai witnesses a hostile takeover.

~

Monsters invade the market town. Giant humanoid hounds and skeleton cutthroats hunt innocents for the slaughter. Shops, bazaars, and vendors are torn asunder, destroyed by spiked maces and poisonous swords. A mask salesman flees, lugging his wares; Stalfos surround him, and a Moblin raises his spear – “Blizzard!"

Frostbite stalls the killing blow. Cold, righteous fury fuels the Heavenly Strike. Stalfos dodge inevitable impalement. Baralai resists tyranny, chaos, and destruction; Ganondorf corrupts the Sacred Realm. He reaches out and the Triforce separates upon contact, scattering, save for one.

The desert thief screams at the Goddesses as power marks his bittersweet triumph.


End file.
